|
A Word from Pastor Russell |
In the End...
The picture captures the view from my room at Christ in the Desert Monastery, where I retreated last week. Canadian Geese, grazing cattle, and coyotes were the members of the choir who accompanied me. My text was Psalm 139. The verses that spoke poignantly to me were, "How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! I try to count them-they are more than the sand; I come to the end-I am still with YOU." (Psalm 139: 17, 18)
These two verses caught my attention while considering a God who is acquainted with all my ways, present in every moment, and promises to be with me from the beginning to the end. The mere thought of this is more wonderful than my mind can grasp.
The limited nature of my mind will not prevent my heart from resting in the promise, "In the end, I am still with You." I may never fully fathom the depth of meaning contained in this wonderful Psalm. However, my heart is confident of loving relationship with a God who will finish what was begun in me, in others, and in our world.
We the people of FUMC, Irving can tell endless stories of God's full knowing and surprising presence in current and past days. The stories that speak the loudest are 'heart stories' where lives were changed and relationships reconciled because in the end God says, "I am still with You." Let's behave like we believe it.
Bearing hope with you,
Russell
|
 WHAT'S NEW? NEWSSaturday, May 4th in the West parking lot of the Church. Remember all proceeds go to missions and Church needs. As you do your Spring Cleaning, please keep the sale in mind. You can bring the items to the Church the week prior to the sale. If you have questions, please call me or Becky Flanery. This year the Immanuel Korean Church and a Boy Scout troop are going to join us and the Methodist Men are providing food. It should be a fun day.
There are only a few more Oasis dinners this Spring. The last dinner will be May 8th. If you haven't joined us in the past, please come for a home cooked meal. The dinners are Wednesday evening (5:00 - 6:30) in Fellowship Hall. You can make reservations Sunday morning in the Narthex or call the Church Office.
|
 Refuge Youth Ministries
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you...
We would like to thank all who have supported us through our fundraiser such as Yard Work and our Bake Sale! Without your support an prayers, we would not be able to do all that we do such as Summer Camp & our Summer Mission Trip.
Great Days of Service
Refuge Youth Group will help with Great Days of Service on Saturday, April 20. Please meet at the church at 8:30 am if you plan to help out.
Baby Sitting
We will sponsor a baby sitting fundraiser on Friday, April 26 from 6:00 PM - 11:00 PM. Children that are potty-trained through 5thgrade are invited attend! The cost will be $25 for the 1st child and $20 for other siblings. We will have games, crafts, dinner and a movie! Please contact the church office for more info or to sign up! Proceed go toward summer camps.
Garage Sale
Refuge Youth will have a spot in the church wide garage sale on Saturday, May 4. Start saving your stuff for us! We will also be selling snow cones! We will need all of the volunteers we can get because this is also the day of the Confirmation Retreat, so some of our youth and some of our leaders will be away.
Mother's Day Photos
Once again, we will be set up to take photos on Mother's Day (May 12)! We are looking to "spruce" it up a bit this year! More details to come.
Senior Banquet
Sunday, May 26, 2013
It is time to start thinking of the Myrtle Beard Scholarship Award which will be awarded to one of our graduating seniors at the end of this school semester. This scholarship award helps with funding for their college education. Please remember this very necessary fund when making your donations to the church. In the past, those who have been the recipients of this award have greatly appreciated it.
NEAR FUTURE EVENTS:
Refuge Florida Trip (Mission/Volunteer Trip) June 16 - 22
Summer Camp (Extreme Camp) July 9 - 13
$50 deposit due by April $15
Extreme Camps is an affordable 5 day Texas Christian camp that is filled with the adventure teens crave and the encounter with Christ they long for.
Stay in the know...
Refuge webpage (www.irvingrefuge.com)
Refuge Facebook (www.facebook.com/irvingrefuge)
Refuge Blog (www.irvingrefuge.blogspot.com) |
 Children's Ministries Easter Egg Hunt - Cold But Fun! In spite of the cold weather on Palm Sunday, the children had a great time hunting for Easter eggs and having their pictures taken with the Easter Bunny. Thank you to the Children's Committee for organizing the event and to all who donated candy! Thank you also to the Easter Bunny who took time out of his busy schedule to visit our kids. Mother's Day Gifts In honor of Mother's Day, the children of FUMC will be collecting toys for children three years of age and younger. These toys will be donated to Wesley Inn, a group residence in Dallas for young homeless mothers and their children. Please help your children participate in this mission project by taking them shopping for a toy. To make it an even more meaningful experience, please allow your children to do extra chores to earn money to buy a toy. Children may bring their toys to Sonrise Village anytime between now and Mother's Day. The children's Sunday School offering through Mother's Day will also be used to purchase toys. Children who don't attend Sunday School, may bring their offering to Children's Church. Scouts Earn Religious Emblems A group of Scouts (boys and girls) recently earned their religious emblems. We plan to recognize these Scouts' achievements during worship in a couple of weeks. Summer Camp
Summer is right around the corner, but there's still time to register for church camp. Bridgeport Camp, part of the North Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church, offers several summer camping opportunities for children who have completed the third through fifth grades. There are also camps for Jr. and Sr. High students. Church camp is fun and can have a big impact on your child's spiritual development. For more information, please go to Bridgeport Camp's website (www.bridgeportcamp.org click onSummer Camps on the left) or call Bonnie Jones (214-914-8879).
Vacation Bible School
VBS will be July 8-12 from 9 am to noon. We will enjoy a western theme this year called SonWest Roundup. We'll have a rip-roaring good time as we learn how Moses and Jesus fulfilled God's plans for his people. It takes "a village" to put on VBS each year. We need lots of volunteers to help with decorations, games, story telling, music, crafts, etc. Please prayerfully consider being a part of this very important ministry to the children of our church and community and let me know how you can help.
Promotion Sunday
Promotion Sunday will take place right before school starts. Currently, children are divided by age/grade level into three Sunday School classes: three years through Kindergarten; first and second grade; and third through fifth grade. Children who are moving up to the next grade level in Sunday School will do so on Sunday, August 25.
Parent's Day Out News!
Meet Our New Director
Sandi Parker will be introduced to the congregation during worship on Sunday, April 21. Please stop by after worship to welcome her to FUMC.
Now Enrolling for Summer and Fall
Parent's Day Out is a ministry of First United Methodist Church, Irving. We provide a loving, Christ-centered learning environment, low student-teacher ratios, indoor and outdoor play areas, faith-based and Kindergarten readiness curriculum and special activities such as music, science, geography, computers and chapel. PDO is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 am to 2:30 pm. We are currently enrolling children for summer and fall. During the school year, we accept children who are six weeks of age through five years (pre-K). During the summer, we also provide school-age care for children who are currently in the 1st through 5th grades. For more information, call Sandi Parker at 972-259-2051 or email her at parentsdayout@fumcirving.org.
We Are All Part of God's Family
Our theme for March and April has been: God created us all. God loves us all. We are all part of God's family. As part of this theme, we have been learning about various countries around the world. We have been blessed with a number of guest speakers:
Mark Doody: Ireland/St. Patrick's Day ~ Pam Knott: Australia/New Zealand ~ Ileen Benjamin: India ~ Pastor & Mrs. Park:South Korea ~ Nita Patrick: Guatemala ~ Jessica Juarez: Mexico ~ Jennifer Mueller: Germany
We thank these wonderful people for their time and enthusiasm. The children and adults have all learned a great deal! On April 30, we will conclude this series with a lesson on Greece and enjoy our own PDO Olympics!
PDO End-of-Year Program and Graduation
Mark your calendars! Our end-of-year program and Pre-K graduation will be on May 30 at 6:30 pm in the sanctuary. Please join us!
Paint Smocks Needed
We need your old, button-up shirts to use as paint smocks!
Kelly |
MUSICAL NOTES FROM RICKY...
Thanks for the great welcome you have provided Pam and me since our introduction to this wonderful fellowship of believers. We are very excited to be here and look forward to worshiping with you each week! (Still trying to learn names, but those will come... thanks for your patience!)
THANK YOU PRAISE TEAM!
Thanks so much to the Praise Team for taking the lead on April 14th for the worship service while I was out of town. We look forward to hearing more from you and learning more worship music with you!
CALLING ALL WORSHIPERS!!
We are always looking for new choir members. You don't have to be a great singer to join us; just come looking for great fellowship and worship and the great singing will come (we'll help you)! If you were a previous member and haven't been back in a while, please come and give us a try... again! If you never were in choir but always thought that you might want to be a part of a great program with wonderful fellowship and worship, come join us! We have special music coming for Mother's Day, Confirmation Sunday, Memorial Day, and beyond- music that you can sing! Come join us for great worship, great fellowship, and (oh yeah!) great music!!
STILL NEED SOME HANDBELL RINGERS...
We recently had our sign-up for handbell ringers to re-start that group and need at least three more to make our 3-4 octave handbell choir! Don't read music? Never played handbells before? We'll teach you!! Catch Ricky anytime to let him know you are interested- rehearsals start April 28th!
REFUGE ROCKS- IT REALLY DOES!
Look forward to hearing more for Refuge ROCKS in coming Sundays! You will (again!) be very proud of these young people for the great music they make and the great worship they lead through their talents. RR, see you folks each Sunday at 5:00. We are working on some plans for the summer, so come join us!
CHILDREN LEAD IN MUSIC, TOO!
Thanks to all the Children's Choir leaders for their hard work- I really enjoyed our meeting last week. And... VBS is coming, too! We have a very strong children's music program that will only continue to grow in the future. Be watching (and listening) for upcoming children's choir performances in May and beyond!!
LOTS OF MUSIC ACTIVITIES COMING UP...
Just because Easter is over doesn't mean that great music and worship doesn't continue to happen! We have special music planned for many different services coming... please come and be a part of a vibrant and active music fellowship and worship!
|
Financial Update
|
Financial Update |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Year to Date | |
|
March 31, 2013 |
|
March 31, 2013 | |
|
|
|
| |
Contributions & Other Receipts |
$54,991.00 |
|
$194,674.00 | |
Less: Expenses |
-$71,652.00 |
|
-$201,120.00 | |
(Net Loss) |
-$16,661.00 |
|
-$6,446.00 | |
|
|
|
|
|
Confirmation
Know Your Story...Confirm Your Faith...Live Your Commitment
Confirmation Sunday will be May 19. Please join us in Worship as we celebrate these students and their decsion.
The following are the names of the confimands:
Colleen Buchanan, Adriana Colunga, Colin Craft, Bailey Gates, Collin Huckaba, Addison Knot, Mikaela Jauregui, Patrick Jones, Will McVey, Grace Mussett, David Parks, Cassiddi Roark & Shane Wiley.
|
Mission's Spreaker
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Abraham McIntyre...
Since his arrival in The Bahamas in 2005, BMH has hosted over 4,000 volunteers throughout The Bahamas, Turks & Caicos and Haiti. Families and volunteers alike have felt the presence of God through relationships built via Disaster Management and Emergency Home Repair. In the summer of 2007, he organized Bahamas Habitat, a US 501c3 support organization for BMH, based out of Cary, NC.
When Abraham is not spending time with volunteer teams or the families they serve, he is coordinating flights, construction projects and raising awareness about sub-standard housing issues. This past year he has also earned his pilot's license, which improves his travel efficiency through the islands. He also enjoys surfing, riding bikes and rest. Abraham is truly thankful for the foundation in which, "his love for God and service to others", has shaped the way he lives. He made himself available by answering the age-old question of, "Whom shall I send?" with "Send Me!"
is the Executive Director of Bahamas Methodist Habitat (BMH), an outreach ministry of the Bahamas Conference of the Methodist Church (BCMC), located on the island of Eleuthera. BMH is committed to Relieving Disaster and Promoting Community throughout the Bahamas and Caribbean Region. Abraham was born and raised in the Nashville, Tennessee area as the "Son of a Methodist Preacher Man". His mission career started in the summer of 1994 with the Appalachian Service Project. He attended East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, TN and earned a double major in Business Management and Sports and Leisure Management. |
|
|
|
|
|
Attendance
March 24
10:30 AM Worship 286
6:30 PM 81
TOTAL 367
Sunday School 167
March 29 - Good Friday
7:00 PM 193
March 31-Easter Sunday
10:30 AM Worship 383
6:00 PM 0
TOTAL 383
Sunday School 141
April 7
10:30 AM Worship 260
6:30 PM 82
TOTAL 342
Sunday School 151
April 14
10:30 AM Worship 234
6:30 PM 93
TOTAL 327
Sunday School 136
|
First United Methodist, Irving is grateful to God for the musical gifts of Warren Kim. His recital is scheduled for April 27 at 2:30pm. It will be held at the Caruth Hall in Meadow building at SMU. |
|
The Ad Board of FUMC, Irving has recommended that the church enter into a revitalization process called the Healthy Church Initiative, or HCI. HCI takes churches through a three-stage process to become effective leaders for change. Stage 1 is a shared learning experience for clergy and laity with their peers in other churches throughout the conference. Participants study best practices from the latest and most relevant sources. The church will decide at a later date if we are ready to enter stages 2 and 3.
If you would like to learn more about HCI packets of material or in the church office or you can go to
http://www.ntcnewchurchdevelopment.org/ and click on the Healthy Church Initiative logo to watch and informative video.
Input from potential new leaders at FUMC, Irving is needed as we explore this important possibility of entering into Stage 1. If you would like to know more, please contact Pastor Russell. He will connect you to others who are laying the ground work for this key time in the life of our church. Pastor Russell says, "I look forward to joining into a holy conversation with some new leaders at FUMC, Irving."
|
 |
|
Trustee's Report
The Church Trustees are requesting if you are able to walk a short distance, please consider parking on the South parking lot (south of Third street) or the West parking lot (west of Hasting Street) for any Church wide event (Sunday morning, Sunday night, Dinners, etc.) reserving the circular parking lot by the Church Office for the most Senior needs. Thank you for your co-operation.
Please remember to clean up after yourself. If you use a part of the building for an event, please pick up after the event. Wipe down counters in the kitchen, sweep up crumbs, take out trash, etc. The cleaning crew only comes Monday - Friday, so if your event is on the weekend, please clean up everything.
Thanks in advance for your help.
Les Flanery, Trustee |
|
Among Our People
In honor of the men of Wednesday Work Crew to the WWC from Gwyen Sutton.
In memory of Flo Taylor, mother of Henry, to Children's Ministry from Challengers Sunday School friends.
In memory of Gary Jones to Benevolence Fund from Steve Wolfe.
In memory of Edith Merle Sloan, mother of Melanie Rueffer to Choir Ministry from Challengers Sunday School class.
In memory of my wife, June, and my parents to General Budget from Walter Smith.
In memory of Joyce Rockwell to Building Fund from Jackie Spruce. To Wednesday Work Crew from Evening Stars UMW Circle. To General Budget from John Tilley; from Derol Todd.
In memory of Mildred Sinclair to General Budget from Derol Todd; from John Tilley; from Ed & Jan Dame; from Herb Cooper. To Building Fund from David & Rusty Finney.
In memory of Jimmie Nell Sutton to General Budget from Herb Cooper.
In memory of Lucile Sublett to General Budget from Mrs. Joan Ward; from the Sublett Family. To the Bereavement Fund from Keystone Sunday School friends. To Building Fund from Mickey & Linda Wheeler; from Jackie Spruce.
|
|
GREETERS NEEDED
Greeters Needed
If you would like to join
the Greeter Team, please
see Howard Hamilton! They are looking for people of all ages!
|
Irving Cares needs "Hotel" samples of shampoo conditioner, soap, etc.
|
There's a sweet, sweet Spirit in this place and I know that it's the presence of the Lord; There are sweet expressions on each face and I know they feel the presence of the Lord; Sweet Holy Spirit, Sweet heavenly dove, stay right here with us filling us with Your love and for these blessings we lift our hearts in praise, without a doubt we'll know that we'll have been revived when we shall leave this place.
Isaiah 43:18-19 "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, He is doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? He is making a way in the wilderness and streams in the desert."
We've been challenged to "be" the church. He is going before us. What an exciting journey we'll share.
In Christian love-a grateful member
|
Book Signing
A Walk in the Garden
by Nancy Alexander
Tuesday, April 30
1:30 - 3:30pm
PPUMC
You can purchase books there for $10
|
|
|
|
|
